ACCESS INNOVATION PRIZE

Facebook and Access are proud to announce the Access Facebook Award. The Access Facebook Award is a new initiative that will award US$20,000 to an individual, organization or network that has the best actionable idea of how to use the Facebook platform to deliver a human rights or social good outcome.

The Access Facebook Award is a joint project of Facebook and Access (accessnow.org). It is part of the 2012 Access Tech Innovation Prize. The goal of the Access Facebook Award is to encourage the development of uses and apps on the Facebook platform that promote human development, including tools that enhance freedom of speech and expression or improve the economic well-being of disadvantaged groups. We are looking for initiatives from across the world, in all languages and addressing the issues that are important to you and your community.

The Access Facebook Award is designed to discover and reward ideas that demonstrate unique promise, opportunity and possibility. You can submit a completed project, improve an existing tool or create something totally new. There will be a preference for projects that are completed or close to completion. Here are a few examples of the types of innovations that the judges are interested in:

• Building a Facebook app that allows for the collection and publication of data to expose election fraud;

• Using the Facebook platform to develop a mobile tool that will enable local communities to locate sources of drinkable water;

• Building an online tool that can be used on Facebook to protect areas of sensitive human habitat;

• Developing a Facebook page integration that enables people to work collaboratively on political issues of shared concern, such as crowd-sourcing amendments to legislation or fostering online and offline communities to engage on a topic.

Timeline May 31 – Applications open with announcement at RightsCon: Rio (rightscon.org)

August 15 – Application process closes September 15 – Finalists announced October – Winner announced. The Award The winner will be awarded $20,000 and acknowledged publicly by Facebook and Access as the Access Facebook Award winner. Depending on the applicant, there also may be opportunities for ongoing collaboration and integration with Access and Facebook. Application Process Applications are relatively simple. Applicants are asked to complete the following 6 questions:

• What is your idea: Introduce it and include the tech specs

• Why is your idea needed:

Who will make use of it?

• How are you making it happen: Who are you working with?

• How will you keep it going: How will you evaluate it and keep the project going?

• What are the risks: Have you done your due diligence?

• What is your track record: What you have done before and how advanced is the idea?

Completed applications should be 2 to 4 pages. Individuals, organizations and networks can apply.

Any intellectual property of the winner will remain his or her property. Criteria Impact:

We are looking for an idea that has real impact for people on the ground! That is, the winning project will be chosen because it has already generated tangible positive outcomes or has evidenced the potential to do so. Likelihood: Coming up with great ideas is important, but making sure ideas can actually change the world is what really counts. The judges are looking for a concept that is, or can be, a reality on Facebook.

One way to demonstrate a likelihood of future impact is to show evidence of past success on this project or another.

Innovation: We’re looking for cool stuff that is new, innovative and interesting. Don’t be afraid to experiment, innovate and explore new ideas. We are looking for ideas that show promise, and can be scaled, replicated or applied to new locations. Measurable/Sustainable: How are you sustaining this project? And how will you determine the real world benefit of the concept? How many people benefit? Are they the ones in need? The idea should have an evaluation mechanism built in, or at least should anticipate how the results will be measured. And you should be thinking about the long term sustainability of the project.

Application Process Applications or questions should be sent to facebook@accessnow.org by August 15